Money saved by defunding infant
circumcision can go to necessary, life-saving healthcare, improving healthcare to the
poor.Circumcision
proponents say that defunding Medicaid paid circumcisions reduce healthcare for the poor;
this is not only false, but also unethical. Infant circumcision is not healthcare;
defunding circumcision means more money is available for healthcare. This
claim is substantiated by the Federal Government; the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services has defined elective circumcision (ICD-9-CM V50.2) as medically
unnecessary. And, Congress appropriates funds only for medically necessary
services (42 U.S.C. 1396(1)). Infant circumcision is
not recommended by any national medical health organization in the world, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association,
the American
College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American
Cancer Society.

Routine, non-therapeutic infant circumcision costs taxpayers
up to $70 million annually, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Costs are
more when payments for complications and extended hospital stays are included. Eighteen
states reallocate millions of dollars each year by not funding infant circumcision -
Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi,
Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, and
Washington.

States that have ceased Medicaid paid
circumcision

Why stop funding circumcision?

Infant circumcision is not recommended by any national medical
organization

Circumcision does not contribute to a boy's health

Nearly two-thirds of American parents do not want their boys
(or their girls) circumcised

Routine circumcision of newborns has been abandoned in all
English-speaking countries.
(It has never been customary in most of the world.)

Parents choosing circumcision may pay privately if they desire

Medicaid savings will average $1 million annually for each
State, dealing with complications doubles that amount